Tackle social factors to reduce stillbirth, say researchers

Pregnant women who experience psychological stress, domestic abuse, deprivation, or unemployment are more likely to have a stillborn baby, a new study shows.1

Researchers from Tommy’s Maternal and Fetal Health Research Centre at the University of Manchester also found that attending more antenatal appointments than currently recommended could reduce the odds of stillbirth.

In 2015 the UK was ranked 24th of 49 high income countries, with a stillbirth rate of 2.9 in 1000 births. In response, the UK government aims to reduce stillbirth rates by 50% by 2025 through initiatives such as the Saving Babies’ Lives Care Bundle.2

The case-control study, published in the British Journal of …